A Sailing/Cruising Blog or an Travel/Adventure Blog?

Ok, I've got a question for you.  This blog was originally intended to document our conversion to a cruising lifestyle.  Obviously plans have changed and while I will continue to write about sailing I know these will be less regular than they were in the past.

When COVID19 became an issue, I was preparing for a trip to the Bahamas.  My hope is to reschedule that trip soon...but that is another story.  After the Bahamas trip obviously needed to be rescheduled, my focus then became how to get back home.  As mentioned in my prior post, the solution ended up to buy a small travel trailer.  

Since returning home, we have taken a few trips with the trailer.  We have also made some modifications to the trailer so it would work better for us.  Some of this is surprisingly similar to sailing/cruising while other aspects are obviously different.

So, my question to you is...are you interested in hearing about the travel trailer stuff?  Or should I keep the blog more sailing oriented?  I don't think this will turn into an RV blog by any means, but it would give me something else to write about during those dry spells when I am not at the boat.

What do you think?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Being Slug-ish

A week or two ago one of the blogs I regularly read did a monthly recap.  In the recap they had mentioned that they spent a couple days as "complete and utter slugs" while waiting out some bad weather.  According to their account they didn't do anything except read, work on their blog, snack and catch up on some TV shows.  Usually tossing out the term "slug" implies a negative connotation, that somehow they should have been doing something more with their time.  So, naturally (and with tongue-in-cheek), I had to respond.  I quipped something about the virtues of the slug lifestyle and that it must be OK because you never hear of slugs having heart attacks.

(image from quintessentialruminations)

While my comment was intended with a hearty veil of humor, there was also a little bit of a lesson that life has been trying to teach me mixed in.  You see, my career in the software industry has always been fast paced and fairly stressful.  It was pretty rare when I would have the chance to unwind and it seems I had just about forgotten how to do that.  When I used to go on vacation, at best I may have just started to unwind a bit by the time the vacation was over.  And I'm pretty sure I am far from alone on this.  Otherwise this clip from CitySlickers might have been left on the cutting room floor...

https://youtu.be/-1bTe54j6PQ?t=2m34s

For me, the worst part is the irony between what my industry was supposed to do and what it has actually done.  Remember how these "computing devices" I've worked on my whole life were supposed to make life easier?  It doesn't really seem they have done that, have they?  Sure, it makes some things easier.  You can make phone calls more easily, and check your email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, and other things at any time from virtually anywhere.  You now have the internet at your fingertips and can instantly find the answers to most of our questions. Yes, we have certainly made communications easier.  But making communication easier doesn't seem to have made life any easier...instead it seems to have made life more fast-paced and hectic. Now that you can receive calls and email from just about anywhere, your boss or your customers now expect instant answers at any time.  As a society, we seem to have lost patience.  And the stress from all of this seems to be killing us.

So, back to the idea of the slug.  I don't think there is anything wrong with being a slug, if that is what you want to call it.  A little slower paced, more deliberate lifestyle is something I think we all could use.  It is something I continue to struggle with but keep striving for in my own life.  My friends over at The Cynical Sailor & His Salty Sidekick just completed another post on "The Art of Being a Slug" and, while being another humor infused post, I think it does have some pretty good lessons to offer if you just think about it.  So I will ask you to go and embrace your inner slug...the life you save may be your own.

And I'll leave you with something appropriate from the Eagles...


Learn To Be Still by siouxnavajo

Fiddling With Social Media

A blog is obviously a form of social media. When I started the blog I did it mostly as a means to explain this crazy idea of sailing away to my relatives and to augment my own memory.  But, since that time it has taken on a bit of a life of it's own. I've met a lot of nice people, made virtual friends with more, and it has become a good place to share ideas and experiences about the act of becoming a cruiser.  So part of today was spent looking with ways to enhance the blog and related social media.

I've had a personal Facebook account for some time, originally created when I needed one for a job. I've ocassionally put up links to my blogs there, but it has been a limited thing. Today I decided to create a Facebook page for This Rat Sailed.

I also signed up for an account with If This Then That. This is a service that allows you to create rules to cross post things between various social media outlets.  If it works, this post should automatically show up on the Facebook page. While I am going to try to keep up the near daily blog posts, I'm also going to make an effort to periodically add to the Facebook page as well.  Guess we will see how it goes.

Something else I've been mentally wrestling with for some time regarding the blog is if I should include advertisements.  One side of me feels like this would be "selling out", but the truth is that I spend a fair amount of time writing on the blog (I think the average amount of time I spend on a post is at least a couple hours).  So (just as TV uses advertisements to keep the lights on) if I can manage to get paid enough for a rare cup of coffee to offset the late nights writing, it seemed worth investigating.

I signed up for Google AdSense since it is integrated with blogger. Right now my account is "pending" so I don't know exactly how any of this will work.  Over the next few days or weeks, you may see me playing with the configuration. I'm going to try and make it as unobtrusive as possible and hopefully I'll get some ability to control what is being advertised.  Only time will tell.

I also looked into the idea of becoming an Amazon affiliate.  This would give me the option of showing products and services that I like, trust, and use.  A preferred option to somewhat random ads on my blog. Unfortunately, it seems Colorado (I am still technically a resident there) has a screwy law that keeps Amazon from offering their associate program in Colorado and a few other states.  So much for the better of the options.

So, bear with me as I play around with this stuff.  Hope you like the Facebook page.  Let me know if you find any of the ads annoying or problematic.  And, if you want to help keep me caffeinated and find an interesting ad, give it a click.

You'll Never Guess What I Did Today

Yep, more window fun.  While waiting for the sealant to cure on the starboard side salon window, I removed the port side window today.  I'll spare you the details...if you are interested, it went just like the last one.  There is now plastic over the window opening awaiting the new glass on that side.

I did want to talk about a couple quick things today though.  First, I forgot to give a shout out to my friend and dock-mate Bill.  He has been helping me when I needed a hand with both the window and anchor locker projects.  Single handing this boat I think is easier than single-handed repair of a boat and I really appreciate his help.  Thanks Bill...I definitely owe you one.

Second, if you have noticed, I've been trying to do daily posts over the last week or so.  In the past I've tried to hold off telling the story of a given project until it was complete, but that often left me with several days between posts.  So my question to you, dear reader, is do you like this approach?  Do you prefer hearing something daily or do you prefer a post that summarizes a more complete story?  If you have an opinion, please leave a comment letting me know what you like.

Awards...or Blogging Chain Letters

A little over two weeks ago I woke up with a sore throat.  Since that time it developed into either a sinus infection or pneumonia or both...depending on which doctor you want to believe.  A couple different courses of antibiotics later, and I think I finally feel well enough to start rejoining the land of the living again.

While catching up on my email and blog reading, I noticed I've been "nominated" for something called a "Liebster Award" by a couple of fellow cruising bloggers.  The first nomination came from my friends over at Diving Into Cruising who I met while I was down in Palm Coast/Hammock Beach Florida. The second nomination was from Catchin' Rays, another family preparing to cruise and about in the same point in the process as we are and while I haven't met them yet, I did meet their boat when we were in the Keys surveying another boat.

The "Leibster Award"

A blog is "nominated" for this "award" by other bloggers.  It is a bit like a chain letter, except that the idea is to allow a blogger to introduce or recognize a fellow blogger's work.  So, being nominated is a bit of an honor...or at least an indication that someone else likes your work.

To accept the award, you are supposed to (as best I can tell anyway):

• Refer back to the blogs that nominated you (which I did above).
• Answer questions posed by the nominator.
• Nominate other blogs that you believe are worthwhile.

Normally I'm not much for chain letter type of things, but in this case I'll make an exception.  So here it goes.

The Questions

1. Introduce us to your crew.  Who are they and what role do they play in your operation?

Mike - A 40-something Colorado native, software engineer, and private pilot who has always had a fascination with the sea. Having some mechanical and electrical aptitude, responsibility for most boat systems maintenance will fall to me.

Anja - (In her own words) I'm also a 40-something Colorado native who has worked at the same job in state government for nearly 23 years. Whereas I'm somewhat apprehensive due to my lack of sailing skills and constant worry about how Madison and Tucker will adjust, I'm looking forward to a change.  I think my role will mostly consist of assisting Mike in fixing things and cleaning.

Madison -  I'm the eldest canine crew member and a little over 10.  My parent's taught me to swim a year or so ago, but I'm not sure why.  Swimming was interesting, but I got a little freaked out the first time when I was sniffing at the water and accidentally fell into the pool.  Fortunately I think I'm indestructible so it is all good. My parent's like playing "guess what breed" I am (here's a hint, I'm a mix of 3 according to the genetic test, but probably not one you might expect)

Tucker - I'm the youngest canine at 4 years old.  I also learned to swim a year ago and I found it, like most other things, to be scary.  My older sister Maddie is my hero.

2. What sort of boat do you have and would you recommend it for other adventurers hoping to live aboard?

We own a 1999 Leopard 38 catamaran.  You can read more about it here.  Since I've only lived aboard the boat for about 6 months by myself, I'm not sure I have enough experience with it to make a recommendation.  We do like the amount of space on the boat, the decent size refrigerator, comfortable saloon and cockpit, and the separate stand-up shower compartment is a nice creature comfort.

3. Where are you now and what are your sailing plans, if you have any, for the future?

Right at the moment the boat is on the hard in Virginia while the crew is all in Colorado working to liquidate our assets there.

4. How do you support your lifestyle while sailing and cruising?

We are still working out all the details on this one.  The current plan is a combination of investments and picking up some odd jobs here and there as needed.

5. What’s the best experience you've had while living aboard?

There have been a lot of good experiences I've had in my short time living aboard.  I've met a lot of good people and felt the camaraderie of fellow boaters.  My favorite experience thus far, though, was a night watch on the outside passage from Southport to Oriental.  Sailing along with reasonably calm seas and out of sight of the artificial lights of land, I clipped my harness onto a jack line and went to sit up on the fore deck and stare up at the stars.  It was a perfect night to be sailing and stargazing.

6. Name the most challenging experience you have had while living aboard and what did you do to overcome it?

Spending the time I spent living on the boat without my family.  My wife and dogs remained behind while I moved aboard to help fix things up in preparation for our move aboard.  My wife stayed behind to liquidate our stuff and sell the house.  I came back to try and help out with that effort so we can both move aboard together soon.

7. Is living aboard and sailing an alternative way of life for you, an escape from the system, or is it just a temporary adventure?

Yes, yes, and who knows.  Call it a mid-life crisis, an epiphany, or what you will, but we decided that we needed to simplify our lives and lower our impact on the environment.  This lifestyle seems to fit the bill.  I'm sure at some point we will likely need to "swallow the anchor", but who knows when that will be.

8. Any big mistakes you have learned from that others may learn from too?

I'm 6 months in and mostly doing refit and repair work so I don't know that I've made that many "big" mistakes yet.  The biggest may be in trusting "professionals" who work in the marine maintenance industry.  Unlike fellow boaters who all seem pretty cool, best I can tell it seems that most of the maintenance industry appears to be staffed by every crooked former car mechanic you have ever met.

9. What advice would you give to youngsters just finding their place in the world?  College, skill/trade, world travel on the graces of good luck?

Instead of doing what will make others happy, figure out what will make you happy and pursue that.  And definitely travel the world (you'll probably need to in order to do that figuring out I just mentioned anyway and it will give you a more realistic perspective on the world).  Doing what others always expect

10. What motivates you to blog and what tips can you offer fellow yachty bloggers?

I started the blog as a way to explain this idea to our parents (since we hadn't told them about the idea yet).  Now I tend to write about things that I wondered about earlier in this little odyssey in hopes that others following along might find it useful or entertaining.

My Nominations

So, what blogs would I nominate for this chain letter award?  Well, there are some very well known blogs that I read on a regular basis, but you probably know them as well. They, and the other blogs I regularly follow are listed in the column to the right.  A couple that I'd specifically nominate from the group:

• http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/
• http://www.mid-lifecruising.com/
• http://theretirementproject.blogspot.com/
• http://svsmitty.wordpress.com/

And what questions would I ask?  Well, the ones I got were pretty good, so with only some minor edits...

1. Introduce us to your crew.  Who are they and what role do they play in your operation?
2. What sort of boat do you have and would you recommend it for other adventurers hoping to live aboard?  What do you like the least about your choice?
3. What are your sailing plans, if you have any, for the future?
4. How do you support your lifestyle while sailing and cruising? 
5. What’s the best experience you’ve had while living aboard? 
6. Name the most challenging experience you have had while living aboard and what did you do to overcome it?
7. Is living aboard and sailing an alternative way of life for you, an escape from the system, or is it just a temporary adventure?
8. Any big mistakes you have learned from that others may learn from too?
9. What advice would you give to those that may be interested in following in your footsteps and living aboard and/or cruising?  
10. What motivates you to blog and what tips can you offer fellow bloggers?

So, there you have it.  Hopefully this post was worth the read and you might want to check out some of these other blogs as well.

Free Beer

Hehehe...wonder how the title of this post will impact blog traffic. Well, read on...the offer is there.

In my last post I mentioned that I met the folks at Diving Into Cruising via my blog.  They sent me a note after recognizing that my "Christmas Card" post was a picture from St. Augustine.  Well, shortly after they sent me the cool video they did of my renaming ceremony included in that post, I met another couple that found me through this blog.

John and Mary from Moondance arrived at Brunswick Landing Marina, where I am currently docked, late last Friday and sent me an email after they arrived.  We got a chance to meet in person Saturday.  They came over to Rover and found me doing what I do a lot of these days...fixing things.  I was working on my windlass that decided that it only wanted to work going down and not it's more important function of pulling the anchor back up and I was cleaning up some more poor wiring practices trying to rectify the condition when they arrived.

We had a couple beers and swapped stories on embarking on this cruising lifestyle from repairs, enhancements, cruising plans, and the journey of going from complete novices to cruisers.  We then met for dinner at the local pizza place after I finished up a few chores on the boat where the stories continued.  We had a nice evening and it was great getting to meet yet another couple that share the dream of cruising.  Of course I forgot to bring my phone or camera along so again I have no pictures...one of these days I might remember to do that.

As it turns out (and if my memory were better I would have put this together before we met) they are the new owners of the nice Fountaine Pajot Tobago that my wife and I looked at in Miami.  It was the cleanest of the boats we had looked at and I'm sure they will be happy with her.  I think they have a very nice boat.

The Tobago 35 when we saw her in Miami

At this point I've either met or have been in touch with people that have bought or looked at several of the boats I ran across while we were shopping for ours.  While the cruising community is very transient in nature it seems to be a fairly tight knit group and I have to admit I feel closer to to many of the cruisers I've met in person or on the internet than I ever did with most of my neighbors back in the 'burbs.

And that gets me to the title of the post.  If you ever find yourself in my area and would like to talk about this crazy thing we are doing, feel free to drop me a line.  I've added a widget on the right hand side of the blog so you can send email from there without having to play the email address riddle game I was using to avoid posting my email address and ending up on a thousand spam lists.  I'll have a cold (if the refrigerator cooperates) beer waiting for you.  And if you are not in the area but want to chat by email instead of on the blog, please feel free to do that as well...but sorry...I can't email a beer to you. ;-)

Friends I Haven't Met Yet

This is a term I've seen a couple other cruising blogs use and I think it is very appropriate. Via this blog I've met a number of people online that either are out cruising or share the dream to go cruising. We've traded emails or had discussions via the blog and have been a source of inspiration for chasing this dream. In a few cases I've even been able to meet them "in real life".

This weekend I was able to meet a couple that are working toward the goal of going cruising. They reached out to me after recognizing the location of the holiday picture posting (It was St. Augustine, Florida). As it turns out, they live only a few minutes away from the Hammock Beach marina where I am currently located.  After a few emails we were able to setup a chance to check out each others boats.

The couple, Dieter and Britton, are in the process of restoring a 1968 Newporter 40 Ketch.  And when I say restoring...well...maybe a more appropriate term would be rebuilding.  They are taking on a project that simply has me in awe.  I can tell they truly love the boat and have no doubt it will be gorgeous when finished.  Take a wander over to their blog and have a look:

http://www.divingintocruising.com/

After the boat tours, we went into St. Augustine and had dinner at the Conch House.  Dinner and conversation were great and it was a well needed break from "the list" of repairs.  Definitely improving the fun to work ratio of the recent week.  Like so many I've met so far in this adventure, they are great people. The cruising community definitely seems to attract my kind of people.

And to Dieter and Britton, we will have to do that again...and next time dinner is my treat.

If you have ever wanted to learn to scuba dive and run into them during your travels, they are certified scuba instructors and I'm sure you would have a blast learning from them.

I should have some pictures to go with this post. You would think by now I would remember to take them, but alas my mind seems to fail me.  So, sorry, no pictures again.  I promise I'll try to do better...if I can remember.  Of all the things I've lost, I do miss my mind the most. ;-)

P.S. If you have ever thought of saying hi, I'd love to hear from you.  In addition to posting comments to the blog (which are always appreciated), you can send me e-mail by using "ThisRatSailed" followed by the at symbol, and the server "gmail.com".

A Blog Is More

When I started this blog, the primary goal was to document our quest to become full-time cruisers so we could explain and answer questions for our families.  I also thought it would be fun to have a journal so some time in the future I could look back at my naive thoughts and theories. I had also hoped that perhaps some of the information would be helpful to anyone else considering this lifestyle change in the future.  You know...learn from the mistakes of others because you don't have enough time to make them all yourself.

Found on the internet.  Might originally be from despair.com

Well, over the past year and a half (wow...it's really been that long...where does the time go) I've actually met some pretty interesting people thanks to blogging.  Thanks to other blogs, I've met some neat people and I've increased my knowledge level (I hope) and certainly my reading library, and thanks to a couple mentions in other blogs have apparently reached a larger audience.  While I don't post as often as I would really like (only so much cruising-related subject matter while I'm land-locked), I do get page views daily from people around the world.  I interact with several other bloggers who I consider "virtual" friends...having never met them in person (yet). All in all, pretty cool.

One particularly interesting thing that has happened is that this blog has helped introduce me to others in my area that share similar goals. Who would have thought there would be a fair number of people in Colorado that either dream of, or are working toward, a cruising lifestyle.  I mean, after all, we are about 1000 miles from the nearest ocean.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised though, Coloradans do tend to be a pretty active lot.  When we were learning to scuba dive in St. Croix, I can't even remember how many times we were told "Did you know that Colorado has more certified divers per capita than any other U.S. state?"* Truth is we probably drag down any rating more than bring it up.

Anyway, getting back to my point.  I've had a few folks from Colorado reach out to me and tell me they are interested in cruising.  I've had dinner or drinks with a couple of them and have found another who periodically needs "crew" when he goes sailing out on the local reservoir. It's been fun to meet folks with similar interests and swap stories. Not a perk I expected from having a blog, but welcome nonetheless.

If you've thought of saying hi, please feel free to drop us a line.  You can send us email at gmail.com by using the blog name, ThisRatSailed, as the user name.

*I have no idea if this statistic is true, but I do periodically hear on the local news that several cities and perhaps the state is ranked among the most active on a pretty regular basis. 

Inspirations and Oversights

Not too long after this notion of sailing away started, I ran across a blog about a couple from Canada with no sailing experience who learned to sail, bought a catamaran, and went cruising down the eastern coast of North America and off through the Caribbean.  Since this was our intention, it definitely got my attention.  When I first found their blog I went back to their first post and began reading. I continue to follow them today.

I have found them to be an inspiration in our quest to throw off the dock lines of our land-based life and sail along a different path.  I could have sworn I had mentioned them in a post or two (other than just my research page), but after a quick review of my past entries, I couldn't find one.  So I will correct that oversight now.

Zero To Cruising is exactly as their blog name indicates.  Mike and Rebecca went from complete sailing newbies to seasoned cruisers.  They are an excellent resource for those interested in cruising as well as those who just want to see what it might be like, both good and bad, to live on a sailboat in the Caribbean.

Why am I bringing this up now?  Well, I had always hoped we might eventually run into them in some anchorage in the Caribbean and swap stories over sundowners.  I would have never thought that we would end up meeting them before we had a boat and certainly not in Colorado.  But that is exactly what happened.  This past weekend we got the chance to hang out with them and a few other of their blog readers at an open house.

Wondering why a couple cruising the Caribbean ended up finding their way to Colorado?  Well, after about three years of cruising on their PDQ 32, they are embarking on a new adventure as the crew for a Leopard 4600 charter sailboat in the Caribbean.  The soon to be owner of that catamaran is right here in Colorado and so Mike and Rebecca are here with the owner making plans and preparing to take possession of the boat.

Having read pretty much every entry on their blog, it seemed that Mike and Rebecca were a pretty cool, down to earth couple.  Getting to meet them in person only confirmed that fact. I can definitely see why the owner of the Leopard wants them to be the charter crew for his boat.  Between the nice layout of the Leopard and the obvious dedication and very personable nature of Mike and Rebecca, I would imagine that anyone chartering this boat and her crew for a vacation would have an absolutely wonderful time.

We had a great time talking about sailing and plans and other topics with everyone who was there.  We were also treated to something that the owner, Mike and Rebecca are intending to do occasionally on their charter...they made ice cream (imagine how great it would be to be on vacation in the Caribbean, sitting on a boat, watching the sun set with some home-made ice cream). The open house was a lot of fun and I'd like to thank Mike, Rebecca, Michael and Julie (the new catamaran owners and hosts) as well as everyone who attended...we had a great time.

UPDATE: The charter boat's web site is now live (still a work in progress as of 7/30/2013). You can find it here: One Love Catamaran Charters

UPDATE 2: I'm not crazy...just forgetful.  I did write a post about Zero To Cruising almost a year ago.

My Sailing Library Groweth

Wasn't it just the other day when I wrote about starting to sell stuff in preparation for our move onto a sailboat?  Well, one exception to this is that my wife and I are trying to learn all we can about our soon to be new lifestyle.  When possible we've checked out books from the local library (not that you can find a lot of books about cruising or sailing at a library in Colorado...skiing maybe, sailing not so much) and we've slowly started picking up books such as "Inspecting the Aging Sailboat" as we started shopping for a boat.

Well, one of the blogs that I regularly read (the entire sailing list is on the right), "The Retirement Project"  posted that in their cleaning up to get ready to go, they were going to give away a number excellent sailing books, many of which were on my must read list.  Well, in a complete reversal of my recent luck, I actually won the book giveaway.

I'd like to thank Deb and TJ of The Retirement Project for their help in advancing our dream towards reality.

One of the things I've always heard about the cruising community is that they are kind, generous, and willing to help.  I think that this giveaway is a nice example of that mindset.  In that spirit I fully intend to pay this gift forward when we are done with them.  Meanwhile I will soon have an expanded library of sailing books to read.

This One is Good

A little while back I ran across a blog that had a very similar story to ours.  A couple with no sailing experience that heads off cruising.  Sound familiar?

I've been going through this blog "from the beginning" and have finally caught up with the current postings.  Thus far it has to be one of the best sites I've found for both information and inspiration related to our plans.  As of today their site states they have been cruising for 718 days and they make posts just about every day (where do they find the time?).

So, if you have some time, check out Mike and Rebecca's story on Zero To Cruising.  And for those that think my wife and I are crazy...we are definitely not alone.